Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that Israel is "committed to completing the elimination of the Iranian regime," revealing that he discussed the objective with US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Sunday. The vow, delivered at the opening of the academic year at the new Kiryat Shmona-Tel Hai University, marks the most explicit public articulation of a regime-change goal since the US-Israel war against Iran that began in late February — and it landed on the same day US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel to discuss Iran.
Table of Contents
- What Netanyahu said
- The Hegseth visit
- Trump's endorsement and election politics
- A war eight months on — Hormuz, Hezbollah, and the strike question
- Key takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
- From Chronicle
What Netanyahu said
"We are committed to completing the elimination of the Iranian regime," Netanyahu said in a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, adding: "I have discussed this with Trump many times, including the day before yesterday," as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
Speaking at the university in Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border, Netanyahu described the regime as "so fanatical" that it will continue its nuclear ambitions and attempt to rebuild its terror proxy axis "as long as it lives." He continued: "Therefore, the only way to prevent this is to topple this regime."
Netanyahu also argued that weakening Iran militarily would not be sufficient to stop it from rebuilding its nuclear programme and regional network. He cast the objective in his now-familiar metaphor of a "venomous octopus," saying: "You sever it, and it will fall."
The prime minister linked the fate of Tehran's regime to his other regional goals: "the elimination of Hezbollah and peace with Lebanon will also come" alongside the fall of the Islamic regime, and he praised the military's work in the north, saying Israel had "completely transformed the picture" along the border.
The Hegseth visit
Netanyahu's remarks coincided with an unannounced visit to Israel by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday. Three Israeli officials told Reuters that Hegseth met Netanyahu to discuss Iran, according to Al Jazeera.
The visit was not publicly announced in advance: a spokesman for the US Department of Defense had earlier told Al Jazeera it "declines to comment" on reports of the trip. After the meeting, Netanyahu's office said the two discussed "the threats in the region" and the US-Israel partnership in dealing both offensively and defensively with those threats, while Hegseth thanked Israel for hosting US forces in the region, which he said numbered in the thousands.
Trump's endorsement and election politics
The phone call and Netanyahu's Tuesday declaration came against the backdrop of Israel's October 27 parliamentary election. On Sunday, Trump praised the prime minister as an ally in the war the US and Israel launched against Iran in late February, writing on social media that Netanyahu had his "Complete and Total Endorsement."
As Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reported from Ramallah, the Trump administration is backing Netanyahu as "Israel's protector and as a leader who can work with the US on various issues such as regime change in Iran."
Separately, the Jerusalem Post reported that the Trump administration came "very close" to approving a strike on Iran on at least one recent occasion — a revelation that followed Trump's comment in Atlanta, Georgia, last week, telling reporters to "wait till you see what we do to Iran." Trump has said the US will not bomb Iran again before November 3, but Iranian officials told Reuters they continue to expect bombing to resume sooner or later, and the administration has continued to describe the war as ongoing.
A war eight months on — Hormuz, Hezbollah, and the strike question
Eight months into the conflict, the region remains on edge. Iran's foreign minister has said the US started the war "without Iran doing anything wrong" and cannot find a way out, while Iran's president says Tehran is ready to settle regional issues through talks, according to the Indian Express.
Tensions around the Strait of Hormuz remain acute: several US embassies in the Middle East have sent out identical security alerts to Americans citing the threat of attack from Iran or Iran-backed Houthis. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that if attacks from Lebanon target northern Israeli communities, Israel would respond by targeting Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiyeh and could capture more territory in southern Lebanon to deepen what he called Israel's "security zone."
Trump has previously kept the military option tethered to political timing — saying there would be no US strike on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections while describing "productive talks" with Tehran. Netanyahu's Tuesday vow points the other way: toward finishing the job, not pausing it.
Key takeaways
- Netanyahu publicly committed to "completing the elimination" of the Iranian regime, saying he discussed it with Trump in a Sunday call.
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced Monday visit to Israel, meeting Netanyahu to discuss Iran.
- The Jerusalem Post reports the Trump administration recently came "very close" to approving renewed strikes on Iran, even as Trump says no bombing before November 3.
- The statements landed days before Israel's October 27 parliamentary election, where Trump has given Netanyahu his "Complete and Total Endorsement."
- Tehran says it is ready to settle regional issues through talks but expects US bombing to resume.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly did Netanyahu say about Iran's regime?
In a statement from his office on Tuesday, Netanyahu said: "We are committed to completing the elimination of the Iranian regime. I have discussed this with Trump many times, including the day before yesterday." At a speech in Kiryat Shmona, he called the regime "so fanatical" that it would continue its nuclear ambitions and proxy networks "as long as it lives," arguing the only way to prevent this is to topple it.
Did Trump agree to help topple Iran's regime?
Netanyahu says he discussed the objective with Trump many times, most recently on Sunday. Trump himself has publicly backed Netanyahu and warned reporters to "wait till you see what we do to Iran," though he has also said there will be no US bombing before the November 3 midterm elections.
Why did Hegseth visit Israel unannounced?
Three Israeli officials told Reuters that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met Netanyahu in Israel on Monday to discuss Iran. The Pentagon declined to comment publicly on the trip in advance; afterward, Netanyahu's office said the two discussed regional threats and US-Israel military cooperation.
How does this relate to Israel's election?
The phone call and Netanyahu's declaration came days before Israel's October 27 parliamentary election. Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday as an ally in the war against Iran, and analysts note the administration is backing him as a leader it can work with on Iran, including the question of regime change.
Is the US-Iran war still ongoing?
Yes, in practical terms. The US and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February. Eight months on, the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint, the US has kept major military forces in the region, Trump says "wait till you see what we do to Iran," and Tehran says it expects American bombing to resume — even as Iran's president says his country is ready to negotiate.
Sources
- The Jerusalem Post — Trump nearly approved Iran strikes, Netanyahu vows to eliminate regime
- Al Jazeera — Hegseth meets Netanyahu in unannounced Israel visit
- Indian Express — US-Iran war live updates: Hormuz crisis, Trump-Iran talks
- Dawn — War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes: live updates
